Flash floods, mudslides hit Southern California as rain continues

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A resident of the 1600 block of Ruddock Street in Covina arrived home on the afternoon of Saturday, March 1, 2014, to discover the storm had topped a tree onto his Honda Prelude.

Resident Bob Roset keeps his eye on swift water rushing down Rainbow Drive in Glendora as the rainstorm starts up again Saturday afternoon, March 1, 2014. The neighborhood sits below the Colby Fire burn area. Resident Tom Tice said this was the most water and mud he’s seen in three days of the storm.

After a day of relative calm, the skies again opened up again over Southern California, soaking denuded hillsides and threatening to send mud and debris flowing downhill toward homes in foothill communities of the San Gabriel Valley.

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning Saturday afternoon as heavy rains again began to pound the already water-saturated hillsides of recent burn areas in Glendora, Azusa and Monrovia.

The warning, which was preceded by forecasts of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon, was issued just before 2:30 p.m. It was initially expected to remain in effect through 4:15 p.m., but later extended through 6:15 p.m.

“At 2:15 p.m., National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a cluster of thunderstorms moving toward the burn areas,” according to a statement issued by the agency. “Rainfall rates have exceeded one half inch per half hour with these storms, which will be capable of producing additional flooding with mud and debris flows in the burn area.”

Those who remained inside the mandatory evacuation zones were advised to shelter in place rather than trying to leave their homes during the storm.

As heavy rain resumed, mud began to flow down streets in the Glendora evacuation zone dragging along tree stumps, rocks and branches with it. Residents report the level of the mud and water to be more than two feet Friday night and are bracing themselves for the rest of the weekend, fixing their makeshift barricades Saturday morning before it started raining again.

The Colorado Boulevard offramp in Eagle Rock was shut down about 12:15 p.m. due to flooding, and remained closed more than three hours later, California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Bishop said.

Highway 39 in Azusa was shut down during the downpour Saturday afternoon due to mud flowing onto the roadway, as well as fears the K-rails placed to block slides would not hold, police said.

Several more inches of rain was still expected in some areas, and thunderstorms accompanied downpours in much of the region.

Much of the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire are under Flash Flood Warning, meaning flash floods are imminent or already occurring because of the expected levels of rain. Residents are encouraged to

Hail is also a possibility across parts of the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire, and officials confirmed large hail has already fallen in the city of Walnut early Saturday morning.

Up in the mountains, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Hesperia and Big Bear Lake until 3 a.m. Sunday morning because of heavy snow and fog. People are discouraged from traveling and are advised to bring extra food and water in their vehicles, as well as chains and an extra flashlight.

Hector Storman, 72, of Covina said he arrived home in the 1600 block of Ruddock Street Saturday afternoon to find a 30-foot-tall tree had toppled over onto his Honda Prelude. He wasn’t sure exactly when the tree fell.

In Pasadena, downed power lines snarled an intersection and knocked out power to nearly 1,000 Pasadena Department of Water and Power customers Saturday morning, officials said.

The wires fell to the street about 10 a.m. on the borderline between Pasadena and Sierra Madre, Pasadena police Lt. Jason Clawson said.

About 900 Pasadena Department of Water and Power customers lost electricity as a result of the fallen wires, however the power was restored shortly before noon, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

The outage turned out the traffic signals at the intersection, and prompted officials to shut down one lane of westbound Sierra Madre Blvd, officials said.

The mishap was believed to be caused when a car struck a power pole on rain-slickened roads.

Officials ordered mandatory evacuations Friday of about 1,000 homes in the path of possible mudslides in Azusa and Glendora, where the 2,000-acre Colby Fire left hillsides vulnerable, and reiterated that residents will not be allowed back into their homes until the rain has passed and the area is deemed safe.

“For those residents who have been evacuated, this is getting old. We understand that. We continue to ask for our residents’ patience,” Staab said. “Out No. 1 goal is to get our residents back into their homes and, unfortunately, it’s these storms that are getting in the way right now.”

But with thunderstorms potentially on the horizon, and hillsides saturated with water, the danger remained real, the chief said.

“The experts tell us that thunderstorms are unpredictable, and they form really quickly,” he said. “They also tell us that the hillsides are so saturated that we really don’t know at this point what event can cause the hills to suddenly break loose. And once that momentum starts, you just have to get out of the way.”

Residents have also been evacuated in Lake Hughes, near Castaic, where the hillsides remain vulnerable from last summer’s Powerhouse fire. Mudslides have forced the closure of several local access roads in the area.

Despite the evacuations, some people stayed and took advantage of the few dry hours to walk their dogs, clean their yards, or go on a bike ride.

Los Angeles County Public Works said on its Twitter account Saturday it has handled 270 calls for service in the last 48 hours, and has 95 crew members staged to assist with storm operations.

Officials are urging drivers throughout the county to use caution when traveling on mountain and canyon roads prone to sudden mudslides in heavy rain.

In the San Fernando Valley, drivers on canyon roads from La Tuna to Malibu saw small mudslides Friday, and the continued rain could trigger more.

Roads through the Sepulveda Basin area have been closed, and are expected to remain blocked until Monday, as officials warily eye rising water levels.

Burbank Boulevard from west of the 405 Freeway to Balboa Boulevard is expected to remain shut down through Monday, and motorists are being encouraged to avoid the area.

The CHP reported responding to 54 crashes within the county between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. Saturday, compared with 18 crashes during the same time period one week prior on Feb. 22, when the weather was dry.

Local power companies are reporting outages throughout the area as a result of the winds and rain, and have called in additional crews to work on repairs.

As of 8:30 a.m., 10,087 Southern California Edison customers were without power, the company reported. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said 700 of its customers were without power as of 10:30 a.m., down from a peak of 14,000 outages Friday.